This dramatic 1:4 bronze replica is of a square wine vessel from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (Late 7th- 6th Century B.C.). The original Fang Hu is in the Palace Museum in Beijing. The original bronze was found in 1923 in Henan Province and is considered among the most spectacular Eastern Zhou bronze objects to date. On the vessel's body are flat inter-lacing and overlapping dragon bodies. This developed into a new design of repeated, reduced simplified units that remain a popular style in bronze decoration. Most outstanding is the profusion of zoomorphic forms exuding from the vessel body. This starts with the crane splashing down on the cover and ends with slinking horned felines at the base. This copy has even reproduced the 'bronze disease' color of the ancient Fang Hu. Because of the many figures, the original was a complicated casting task which was either produced by sophisticated section method mold, then assembly; or else, new for its time, a casting method such as the lost wax process.
More pictures, history and references available on our website. Size: ~ 11 1/4" H x 4 1/4" x 3 3/4"; Weight: ~ 3 1/4 pounds.